


Two Flames Merge

by Masculine_Man_Lover



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-21 08:03:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21296198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masculine_Man_Lover/pseuds/Masculine_Man_Lover
Summary: Roy Mustang is left critically injured during the war in Ishval and is nursed back to health by Kashim, a handsome native physician and gains a new appreciation for the culture he was helping to destroy.
Relationships: Roy Mustang/Original Male Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Flame And Healing

The first sensation he became aware of was a piercing pain located on the right side of his head. Wincing, he slowly lifted a hand and gingerly touched the location of the pain only to be stopped by a warm, calloused male hand and a slight clattering of what sounded like tools.   
  
"Don't touch it, I haven't sterilised it yet so please stay still. If you understand may I ask your name?"  
  
Words came to mind but were hard to enunciate, his mouth felt like rocks had been dragged across his tongue and left him feeling a gritty dryness but eventually he managed to say what he wanted.  
  
"R-Roy Mustang..."  
  
The clattering came to an abrupt stop and the deep voice became cold and almost accusatory.  
  
"The flame alchemist of Amestris and a dog of the military. How lucky I am."  
  
Mustang felt a tingle of fear flow through him. The man speaking was clearly an Ishvalan and had him splayed out on a table ready to torture him. His pain tolerance was high enough to withstand most Amestrian methods of torture but who knows what the Ishvalans were capable of?  
  
"Look, if you're gonna torture me you're wasting your time. I have no intention of telling you anything about our operations here."  
  
The clattering resumed and a soft chuckle could be heard. It was an oddly pleasant sound, far from the coldness of the previous statement made by this stranger.  
  
"And I have no intention of asking you anything about your operations here Mr Mustang. I care not for your rank, nor where you come from. I simply want to see you well."  
  
Mustang felt conflicted. Was this some sort of psychological form of getting him to feel at ease so he may let something slip of importance? Before he could think too hard he felt a hand slip under his head, prompting him to lift it up slightly.  
  
"I'm going to give you some water now alright? I need you to stay perfectly still and not worry."  
  
Mustang suddenly became aware that he couldn't see anything and realised he must be either blindfolded or his head was wrapped in bandages, possibly the latter considering the circumstances. He nodded and opened his mouth, feeling something akin to clay set between his lips and a sudden pouring of cool yet bitter water that flowed without resistance down his throat.  
  
"That's it. Thank you for cooperating. I half expected you to be a bit more barbaric I suppose. I'm glad to see I was wrong."  
  
Mustang felt the clay jug taken away and thought about that statement with a heavy heart, thinking back to what he had seen and done here in Ishval.  
  
**"The young girl, cowering in the alley as flames roared and ripped through the boxes she had been sleeping inside of only moments before.   
****The couple on the bench, holding hands, skin peeled back and smoking. Soldiers tore off the wedding rings and laughed, chattering about fetching a handsome sum back in Central.  
****The man who begged for his life before being blown apart by mortar fire, limbs flying to and fro with blood that caked the nearby fountain which now ran dry."**  
  
He felt the tears begin to flow and chastised himself inwardly, hating how openly he showed weakness in front of one of those he was tasked with destroying. When the man spoke again his tone was kind but melancholic.  
  
"What are you crying for sir? The wound should not be that painful and I doubt you are one to cry this openly on a normal day in front of others. Are they tears of regret, sadness or dare I say happiness?"  
  
Mustang cleared his throat and felt the tears being wiped away with the man's thumb. It felt oddly comforting somehow, as though he were a child again being cared for by his guardian.  
  
"I'm crying for this life and how unfair it can be. I'm tired and afraid of what is always lying in wait around the next corner. I just want people to be at peace."  
  
The Ishvalan chuckled again, this time with the coldness that returned containing a hint of bitterness as well.  
  
"I'm sure the ones who no longer breathe are certainly at peace after what you and yours have done. Get some rest, Mustang. I will check on you in the morning."  
  
Mustang heard the echo of boots on stone as the Ishvalan walked away. He was now left with nothing but his own thoughts and the whistle of the wind making its way through cracks in the structure he was inside of. Focusing on his breathing he found sleep came quicker than he expected and the faces of those he had done away with glared at him in a sea of fire that consumed him within his mind for what he had done.  
  
  



	2. See No Evil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy's health improves and he learns more about the Ishvalan who has helped him.

The sun's warmth awakened Mustang with a pleasant sensation, his body mostly covered in what felt like a sheet soaked up the rays that cascaded through a nearby window. Judging by the intensity he figured it must be to his right as the left side of his body had a coolness permeated by sweat that had begun to dry.  
  
**"Half in light and half in darkness. Hughes would have a field day with this one." **Roy thought to himself with a sardonic smile.  
  
After what seemed like several minutes he became aware of the sudden approach of footsteps, the shuffling seeming to betray sandals or some other foreign footwear and he knew it was the Ishvalan who had taken him in. As they came closer there was a brief scraping sound, almost like that of a stool being moved next to the cot.  
  
"How are you feeling today?"   
  
The tone was kind and gentle but also weary. Roy could practically feel the man rubbing his eyes that no doubt have the telltale signs of someone who has seen too much from a young age. He cleared his throat and shifted slightly.  
  
"It doesn't hurt as much now. I don't like not being able to see anything, it makes me feel as though the future I desire is nothing more than wishful thinking cast upon a blank canvas. God, what meds did you give me?"  
  
The Ishvalan chuckled and Roy took note of a drawer being opened, the contents being rifled through without much care.  
  
"A natural remedy my people tend to use to combat mostly physical pain but it can also trigger off a psychological response, rendering the patient a bit more open about themselves than they would otherwise be in normal circumstances."  
  
Mustang coughed a few times and the Ishvalan brought over the same clay jug as the day before. After swallowing several mouthfuls Roy breathed in deeply and for the first time noted the gentle aroma of herbs and incense that calmed his nerves.  
  
"Are you an herbalist by any chance? It also occurs to me that you know my name and I don't know yours, care to enlighten me?"  
  
The other man shifted on his stool uncomfortably and proceeded to absent-mindedly check over Mustang's wounds, poking and prodding here and there. Once satisfied he sat back and sighed.  
  
"I don't care to enlighten you, only by the grace of Ishvala can you understand such a concept. However, yes I am a herbalist, an apprentice at least. My master is helping those on the front line, my people and your own for he is a kind and merciful man. The last message I received from him spoke about two Amestrian doctors, a couple who were doing wonderful things to help whoever required help. That is the only reason I bothered to take you in I hope you know?"  
  
Mustang winced, feeling more lucky than any other time in his life. People who helped others were the reason he was still breathing and yet here he was helping to destroy the lives of this culture just because higher-ups in the military told him to.  
  
"I want you to know that I harbour no ill will to your people in any way, sir. I was simply following orders set by those who run the country."  
  
He knew it was the wrong thing to say and yet it is what he had justified in his mind to be the truth. The Ishvalan stood up and Mustang flinched as he heard the stool being kicked violently across the room.   
  
"Oh it's that simple is it? Just following orders like a good little soldier, a proper dog of the military who questions nothing and doesn't doubt your actions even for a second? I refuse to believe that. You tossed and turned in your sleep, crying out for forgiveness over what you have done and I had to restrain you multiple times so you wouldn't fall to the floor. Does that sound like a man who is at peace with who he is, what he is?"  
  
Roy stayed silent and licked his lips, trying to form a sentence, anything to go against what the other man said but found nothing and so he began to sob uncontrollably.  
  
"I am t-tired of seeing p-people getting hurt b-because of me. I just want to be p-punished for what I've done."  
  
The Ishvalan sighed again and went to pick up the stool which he set back down with a grunt. His tone in response returned to one of gentility and calm, the anger not gone but momentarily subdued.  
  
"It is not my place to see you punished, Roy Mustang for I am no judge, nor am I a god who has the right to condemn or absolve. I am but one man who saw fit to heal your wounds and prevent your death. Was it a mistake for me to show mercy? Do you wish I had let you die on the battlefield, among the corpses of those whose souls would not have thought twice about dragging you into the fires of damnation?"  
  
Mustang composed himself and controlled his breathing once more. He became aware of a damp, warm cloth making its way over his face, cleaning up the tears that freely flowed only moments ago.  
  
"What does it say about me? I am coward enough to want to die and yet I'm also selfish enough to desire to keep on living regardless of what may come next in this life. How much longer will I have to stay here?"  
  
The Ishvalan stood up and huffed, clearly irritated but trying to keep himself under control.  
  
"A week at the least and then you can do whatever you desire. My name is Kashim by the way. I have to tend to some errands but I won't be gone long. If the explosions get closer I will not hesitate to leave you, I hope you understand?"  
  
Mustang heard the receding footsteps and sighed, defeated. The rays of the sun were no longer comforting but instead feeling like individual hot piercing needles that sought to rip him open and remove his blackened soul from existence.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, so I recently came to the end of FMA Brotherhood and absolutely loved it. During the Ishvalan story arc I wanted to make something different for our favourite flame alchemist colonel.


End file.
